The National Park Service will decide the future of the park plan for Middlesex County
EDISON – With the public comment period on the proposed sports complex at Thomas A. Edison Park ending Sept. 3, the Middlesex Greenway Coalition is hosting a presentation on the project by environmentalist Walter Stochel on Thursday.
The presentation by Stochel, vice president of the Edison Greenways Group, and others will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Clara Barton First Aid Squad, 1070 Amboy Ave. The county intends to convert the 161-acre park adjacent to Middlesex College into a sports complex on 83.34 acres in an area protected by National Park Service deed.
Public comments will be considered by the National Park Service in evaluating the project and deciding whether to proceed.
The plan includes more than a dozen artificial turf pitches, an artificial turf pitch and a championship running track with large stands, the redesign of 16 tennis courts and a cricket field.
The project also includes lighting, bleachers, a sports hall for food stalls, toilets and maintenance equipment, remote toilets and food stalls, parking for 1,350 cars, a playground, and pedestrian and bicycle paths.
Since the project, part of the county’s Community Innovation and Opportunity Strategic Investment Plan, was announced in 2022, residents have raised questions about costs and impacts on traffic on Woodbridge Avenue and Mill Road. Concerns have also been raised about the trees and animals in the forested areas, groundwater and access to the park’s facilities.
Residents may submit comments to the National Park Service on the project’s environmental impact report. Comments may be posted online at parkplanning.nps.gov/EdisonParkNJ or sent to Diane Keith, NER Program Manager National Park Service Federal Lands to Parks c/o 54 Portsmouth St. Concord, NH 03301.
Earlier: What is the environmental impact of the new sports complex in Middlesex County? Report due
The environmental impact assessment lists two alternatives. One of them calls for no action and the county will continue to maintain the park in its current condition. The second alternative allows the construction of the planned $66 million sports complex.
Stochel said that the alternative of doing nothing would have the least impact on the environment.
However, the report goes into detail about the potential environmental impacts of artificial turf.
“Conversion of the grass areas to sports fields would create a barrier on the soil surface, blocking access to the soil for burrowing insects, reducing opportunities for pollinators and destroying plants whose flowers provide food for other insects and also food sources for invertebrates such as the caterpillars of some butterflies and moths. This would impact ground-feeding birds that use the areas to forage for food such as larvae, insects and worms. Small mammals such as squirrels, wood mice, shrews and hedgehogs, as well as lizards, frogs, toads, finches and sparrows and all animals that feed on the seeds of the natural grass would be affected,” the environmental impact assessment states.
While the report acknowledges that bald eagles, hen harriers, ospreys, snowy egrets and yellow-headed night herons can be found within or adjacent to the project area, state DEP landscape maps show that “no habitat for state or federally threatened or endangered species is present within the project disturbance limits.”
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The report also goes into detail about other potential impacts of artificial turf, including increased surface temperatures and stormwater management.
Thomas A. Edison Park is located on the site of the former Raritan Arsenal, which was used for military transport during World War I and closed in 1961. The site was acquired by the county as a park in 1964 as part of the National Park Service’s Federal Lands to Parks Program, given a new purpose, and construction of the park began in 1974.
According to the report, population increases in Edison and Middlesex County have put pressure on existing recreational areas. The county’s population increased from 809,858 in 2010 to 863,162 in 2020, while Edison’s population increased from 99,967 to 107,588 during the same period.
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Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com, covering crime, court cases and other chaos. For unlimited access, subscribe or activate your digital account today.
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